Quality
Antiques Since 1991“If we
wouldn’t have it in our own homes, you won’t find it in
our shop.” John Jenkins, Partner; Paul Bavis, Associate; Tom Osborne,
Partner

Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques specializes
in 18th and 19th Century furniture, period accessories, paintings,
engravings, mirrors, and lighting. Come to us for neo-classical
furniture, including Continental, English and American.

We are also known for our period lighting
fixtures and custom-designed reproduction chandeliers, lanterns
and sconces

In recent years, we have branched
out from those basics, offering a variety of well-designed pieces
from the early to mid 20th Century. We also work with a variety
of specialty dealers to bring our customers a selection of unusual
high-quality items such as quilts and linens, dolls, and early 20th-century
Ethiopian furniture.

We sell antiques for people of taste, regardless of
their budgets. Our inventory ranges from museum-quality pieces, through
period antiques of more-affordable quality, to hand-made authentic old reproductions
and even custom reproductions made in our own cabinet shop. All reproductions
are fully disclosed.

We offer custom hand-made furniture
and lighting featuring period designs and construction techniques.
In furniture, most of these are adaptive creations, such as bathroom
sink bases, entertainment cabinets, beds re-sized to modern standards,
and coffee-table bases for platters, trunks and tole trays, but
can also extend to custom dining and kitchen tables for hard-to-fit
spaces. Custom lighting includes custom chandeliers, candelabra
and sconces made from old and/or new parts.

Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques also
provides consulting services in the areas of building your antique
collection, arranging your furniture and paintings, and selecting
colors and fabrics. We have been hired by clients to work with their
architects and interior designers to help ensure that architecture
and furnishings mesh with lifestyle and practical considerations.

We encourage the public to browse
in the beautiful rooms of our 1890 townhouses, but we also welcome
business over the internet or by phone. Most f our business is with
repeat customers who have been shopping with us for years, and most
of our new customers come by word-of-mouth. We do a heavy local
business (Old Town Alexandria plus Georgetown and Washington, DC),
but we ave clients and customers in more than 30 states and abroad.

Whether
you shop with us in person or over the internet, we go the extra mile
to be sure the items you purchase will look beautiful and be practical
in your home. For local customers, we provide installation of chandeliers,
careful delivery, and proper placement of furniture, paintings and mirrors
– at no extra charge. While nothing can match the personal service
of local, in-store shopping, we strive to apply the same principles of
care and expertise in dealing with our internet and phone customers.

Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques is located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria,
Virginia, directly across the street from Christ Church (George Washington’s
church). We’re only 5 miles from downtown Washington, DC, and 3
miles from National Airport. Our hours change seasonally; go to the “Doing
Business With Us” page for current hours. Even then, hours are subject
to change, so please call before making a trip from out of town. This
is not only our shop, it’s our home; appointments are always welcome,
even outside of normal business hours.

History

Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques was founded by John Spurgeon
Jenkins and Thomas Lewis Osborne in 1990, and opened
its doors as a retail shop in June 1991 in Leesburg, Virginia. Shortly
thereafter, Paul Bavis joined the firm. After doing business in Leesburg
for 6½ years, Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques relocated to its present
facility in the Old Town section of Alexandria, Virginia, in November
1997.

Personnel

John Jenkins is an expert on antique furniture and is also knowledgeable
about paintings, porcelains, and silver, among other areas. He bought
his first antique when he was six years old. By the age of twelve he
was buying and selling antiques. He has formal education in interior
design and has taken a number of courses on antiques, but his knowledge
base extends well beyond that. He has been tutored by top dealers, museum
curators, and appraisers and has assembled a reference library of some
500 books and 1,000 magazines and journals on the art, architecture,
furniture, furnishings, and home decor practices of 18th and early 19th
Century Americans. Prior to opening Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques, he bought
antiques internationally for Macys South.

Paul Bavis is one of the leading chandelier and lighting experts on the
East
Coast, and also has expertise in the shop’s other areas of specialization.
His first exposure to chandeliers was as a 7-year-old boy through the
work of John F. O’Rourke, who had done the major conversion of Charleston’s
chandeliers from gas to electricity. Many visits to the deceased Mr. O’Rourke’s
workshop led Paul to a fascination with chandeliers; he purchased his
first at age 16 (on layaway). He has done consulting work and/or designed
and built hundreds of chandeliers for such places as the Maryland Governor’s
mansion, Historic Alexandria’s Lloyd Mansion, historic Rokeby in
Leesburg, and private homes from coast to coast.

Tom Osborne is business manager and assists in the shop as needed.

Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques also has under contract a network
of restoration experts including cabinetmakers, refinishers, gilders,
art restorers, framers, and clockmakers. They work almost exclusively
on our own merchandise, but are sometimes available for customer work
and/or for custom hand-made reproductions.